Odisha to begin ‘token’ Covid vaccination of 18-44 years age group from May 1

Odisha has placed orders with Bharat Biotech to deliver at least 5 lakh doses of Covaxin by May 31 and the rest 5.3 lakh doses by June 15

Published on: May 1, 2021, 09:48:51 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The third phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive will begin in Odisha on Saturday with a few in the age bracket of 18-45 years receiving their first shot in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation area after the state received 1.5 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin.

Odisha has requested for continuity in the supply of Covishield for the vaccination drive in the state to move into the next phase. Representative Photo

Additional chief secretary of health, PK Mohapatra, said on May1, a few token beneficiaries will receive the vaccine in a symbolic expansion of the drive amid a weekend lockdown in the state’s urban areas in view of the surging Covid cases.

“The vaccine will be used in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation limits for which slots will be opened on COWIN for sessions to be held from Monday,” he said.

Mohapatra said Odisha has placed orders with Bharat Biotech to deliver at least 5 lakh doses of Covaxin by May 31 and the rest 5.3 lakh doses by June 15. “We have also asked the Serum Institute to give us 40 lakh doses in May followed by 60 lakh each in June, July and August. We will start the Covishield vaccination as and when we receive the doses,” said Mohapatra. Odisha is administering Covishield jabs all across the state except Bhubaneswar.

Odisha health minister Naba Das wrote to Union health minister Dr Harsha Vardhan on Friday requesting the Centre to allot 25 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine in a single go to enable continuity in vaccination of people aged 45 years & above. On Friday, the state administered 81,161 doses to the age group of 45 years and above and was left with just 46,220 doses of Covishield and 3.21 lakh doses of Covaxin.

“Between April 20 and 29, Odisha has received only 2.9 lakh doses of Covishield in three allocations, which is insufficient for unhindered continuation of the vaccination drive. The vaccination sessions could not be conducted in more than 1,100 session sites daily in the recent past and our daily dosage delivery has drastically declined from 2.71 lakh on April 3 to 27,000 on April 29,” Das wrote.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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